4.Increases in appetite. Alcohol raises blood flow to the stomach and gut and also a slight irritant locally. This property rises hunger and thereby food consumption.

5.Keeps body warm in winter and cold conditions. It increases blood flow to the skin and thus produces warmth.

6. Helps put on weight to those who want to. Alcohol provides a high amount of calories by metabolism in the body and thereby adds to the fat content of the body. Advantageous to those who are slim.

7.Helps neglect severe pain: During an injury or accident, alcohol intake can make the person less sensitive to physical pain. Because those centers in brain which feel the pain are sedated.

Benefits of alcohol:

Alcohol is a suitable solvent for many extraction procedures. Since it is an organic solvent, it is suitable for extraction of plant constituents, drugs, nutrients, etc.

It is an excellent antiseptic, disinfectant and sterilizing agent. At 70% concentration, it is an effective disinfectant to kill all the germs. Hence it is incorporated in most of the deodorants and antiperspirants. It is also believed to reduce sweating.

It is a good preservative. Alcohol presence in any medical preparations is an excellent preservative as seen in homeopathic drugs preparations. Drugs or medicinal preparations stay safe for a long time.

Astringent: It precipitates and denatures surface proteins making tissues soft. In long-term bedridden patients, it is used to harden bony surfaces of the back.

Cooling agent: Alcohol acts as a refrigerant by cooling the surface of the skin when applied. When a pack immersed in alcohol is placed on the head, it produces a cooling sensation in times of fever with high temperature.

Reduces pain: When alcohol is used to massage over a surface of painful muscle regions, it relieves deep-seated pains.

Disadvantages of alcohol consumption:

1. Loss of self-control: Alcohol drinking leads to loss of self control. In medical terms, alcohol is a sedative,and in high doses the person loses self-control on the body and can lead to accidents.

2.Damage to liver: Heavy consumption can damage the body organs and systems. Especially liver, stomach, brain are affected. Since, alcohol is mostly metabolized in liver, it is the organ which is impacted most. It may lead to fatty liver. Besides, it can also lead to cardiovascular troubles and high Blood pressure. So, limiting drinking is needed to rescue the organs. Further, having a protein-rich diet is necessary to rejuvenate the liver.

3. Nerve damage: It causes slow and progressive degeneration of nervous system. Alcohol is chemically highly hydrophilic solvent. That is it can penetrate well into fat tissues like the brain. At high concentrations, it can itself damage the neurons.

4.Leads to obesity. It can put on excess weight. This is due to low consumption of carbohydrates taken in the form of food. Alcohol by itself can from energy molecule ATP and provide calories to body. So other calorie generating food especially carbohydrates and fats are not used up. This leads to accumulation and weight gain.

5.Addictive: It is an addictive and people are prone to it. Leading to a disturbance in the healthy lifestyle. He will reach a stage where his daily routine does not happen without drinking.

6. Sedation and death: Alcohol is a sedative, moderate drinking is not a risk. But on further heavy consumption it can lead to coma and death.

Socially alcohol has much impact as there can be accidents due to drink and drive. Also, one can lose his senses and misbehave causing trouble for others. Besides it, a costly drink so can put an economic burden on low-income people.

Alcohol poisoning: Alcohol, when taken in large amounts, could be harmful and leads to toxicity. Alcohol toxicity is of two types as

Acute alcohol poisoning

Chronic alcohol poisoning.

Acute alcohol poisoning: This occurs due to sudden intake of large amounts of alcohol. The person may go into sedation, coma and even death. The best way to manage is to take him to hospital. The person is given respiratory support and other measures to save the life.

Chronic alcohol intoxication: Here the intoxication occurs due to the long standing intake of alcohol. Here the person might be addicted to alcohol, so he does not get the euphoria at normal doses and may take large doses. This can lead to organ damages and death. Hence, he has to be discouraged from consuming any amount of alcohol further.